racial injustice
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'We Just Basically Share One Brain': The Root Presents: It’s Lit! Gets Collaborative With Maika and Maritza Moulite
If you weren’t one of the millions resigned to spend New Year’s Eve alone this year (thanks again, COVID), you may have placed special significance on who joined you to welcome in 2021, a year we hope will guide us out of the darkness, despair and disillusionment of that year (come through, Age of Aquarius!).…
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Democratic Lawmakers Urge Joe Biden to End the Federal Death Penalty on His First Day in Office
The death penalty—a thing supposedly reserved for perpetrators of the most heinous crimes, typically involving intentional and cold-blooded murder—arguably makes sense in theory; but in practice, its flaws and potential for racial discrimination are undeniable. According to figures compiled by the NAACP, Black people represent 42 percent of inmates on death row and 35 percent…
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Newly Released Body Camera Footage Shows Police Questioning the McMichaels After Ahmaud Arbery Shooting
Newly released body camera footage has provided details regarding the moments following the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery in Glynn County, Ga., on Feb. 23. The video shows officers questioning Greg and Travis McMichael and William “Roddie” Bryan directly after the shooting. Of course, all the body-cam footage really shows us is a thing Black people…
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No Charges Filed Against Minneapolis Pawn Shop Owner In Fatal Shooting of Black Man During George Floyd Unrest
In July, The Root reported that 43-year-old Calvin Horton Jr. was allegedly shot and killed by a Minneapolis pawnshop owner during civil unrest two days after the killing of George Floyd. As Horton’s family and their attorney, Ben Crump, took part in demonstrations demanding justice for Horton, police officials asked the public to come forward…
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![10 Black Lives Matter Chapters Pen Open Letter Criticizing BLM Global Network for Lack of Transparency in Decision Making [Updated]](https://www.theroot.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/pexqcd8lyee5dx4gxm0w-300x200.jpg)
10 Black Lives Matter Chapters Pen Open Letter Criticizing BLM Global Network for Lack of Transparency in Decision Making [Updated]
Black Lives Matter has become such a mainstream rallying cry and concept that it’s easy to forget it’s also an organization—and one that has grown from a grassroots movement to a global network aimed at the betterment of the Black collective. Since the BLM explosion over the summer, the organization has been making some serious…
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Pope Francis Shouts Out NBA Players for Their Work in Addressing Racial Injustice: 'You're Champions'
When the NBA made its triumphant return in July after COVID-19 tried its best to steal our joy, it looked like nothing we’d ever seen before. Not only were there virtual fans in the stands, but players were adorned in “VOTE” t-shirts, “Black Lives Matter” was etched onto the court and coaches and players alike…
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Slurs and Racist Memes Are ‘Only the Tip of the Iceberg’ of Racial Bias in the New York State Court System: Report
“If a white man wants to lynch me, that’s his problem. If he’s got the power to lynch me, that’s my problem.”— Kwame Ture All racism contributes to systemic racism. Individual racism might not be so bad if it stayed confined to your uneducated uncle who works in some gas station in some neighborhood where…
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Louisiana Police Blamed a Black Man’s 2019 Death on a Car Crash. His Family Just Viewed Footage of Police Beating and Tasing Him Before He Died
A video of a Black man being beaten by Louisiana police, kept away from the public for more than a year, was finally shown to his family this week. The family of Ronald Greene, who died after a brutal encounter with Louisiana State Police, saw a “graphic” 30-minute video on Wednesday depicting what happened to…